Implement for checking the position of a disc at the edge of the playing surface in shuffleboard



Oct. 8, 1957 M ORLI'N 2,808,652

IMPLEMENT FOR CHECKING THE POSITION OF A DISC AT THE EDGE OF THE PLAYING SURFACE IN SHUFFLEBOARD Filed May 3, 1957 FI5/ 2 I? z; j? {6 9 za I :22:

FIE, 5- QFIE; 5.. INVENTOR. WAX 0/{Ll/Y United tates Patent IMPLEMENT FOR CHECKING THE POSITION OF A DISC AT THE EDGE OF THE PLAY- ING SURFACE IN SHUFFLEBOARD Max Orlin, Passaic, N. J.

Application May 3, 1957, Serial No. 656,880

3 Claims. (Cl. 33-174) This invention relates to the game of shuffieboard. As is well known, this game is played on an elongated flat rectangular surface which is usually raised above the ground or floor level and commonly the entire rectangular block is made of concrete, but when used indoors the platform is of wood on a table. The surrounding walls of this block or platform are vertical. One of the rules of the game is that when a disc comes to rest with any portion thereof projecting beyond a surrounding wall of the playing surface, the player does not score.

Hitherto the checking as to whether a disc does or does not extend beyond the playing surface has depended entire.- ly upon the eye, and since such a method is not accurate and different people come to different conclusions, it often results in disagreement.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a measuring or checking device or implement to take the place of visual observation as to whether or not a disc projects beyond the playing surface, the utilization of this implement making an accurate check beyond any possible doubt.

The above broad as well as additional and more specific objects will be clarified in the following description Wherein reference numerals indicate like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended solely for the purpose of illustration and that it is therefore neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the exact details of. construction or operation shown or described except insofar as they may be essential to the invention as defined in the claims.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of an edge of a shufileboard playing surface, showing one embodiment of the checking implement of the present invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the checking implement of Fig. 1, per se.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of the checking implement.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 10 indicates a portion near an edge of a shuflleboard platform having the wall 11 thereof vertical and at right angles to the top of playing surface 12. One of the discs which are used in the game is shownat 13. These discs are usually provided with a bulging convex circumferential Patented Oct. 8, 1957 like 17. On the extremity of the arm 16, a second arm of the same width and thickness as the arm 16, shown at 18, is secured by means of a hinge 19 in end-to-end relationship with the arm 16. It is to be noted that the pivot axis or pin 20 of the hinge is parallel with the arm 15 and lies substantially or approximately intermediate the two parallel opposed side surfaces 21 of the arm 16 and the equivalent surfaces 22 of the arm 18. As a consequence, it is obvious that the arm 18, when the arm 15 is applied flat against the surface 12 with the arm 16 having its edge 23 flush against the wall 11, can be swung in a vertical plane between 'a position wherein the arm 18 extends downward from the plane of the arm 16 to a position wherein it extends upward'from the said plane, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1.

When a disc 13 comes to rest in a position at the edge of the surface 12 so that it is questionable whether or not it projects beyond the edge, the implement is applied as shown in Fig. 1. Then the arm 18 is swung through an are substantially as shown in Fig. 2. If the arm 18 does not contact the edge of the disc then the latter is within bounds. However, in the event that the disc projects, however slightly, beyond the edge of the surface 12, the arm 18 will strike the disc and move or push it, thus showing beyond a doubt that the disc came to'rest projecting over the edge of the playing surface. The two mutually hinged arms 16 and 18 may together be considered an articulated single arm.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, parts which are identical or similar to parts described above are indicated by the same reference numeral followed by the subscript a The essential difference between this form and that shown in Fig. l, is that the arm 15a has the arm 16a secured to one side thereof intermediate its length, instead of at one end. The form of Fig. 5 is applied to the platform 10 and functions, in exactly the same manner as described above.

Obviously, modifications in form or structure may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with a rectangular shuflfleboard platform having a flat horizontal playing surface and vertical side walls, an implement for checking whether a playing disc which has come to rest at the edge of the platform has any portion thereof projecting beyond said edge comprising a relatively short arm having top and bottom parallel sides and a relatively long arm secured to the short arm at right angles to the short arm, said long arm being articulated and having the axis of articulation parallel with said short arm, said articulated long arm comprising two parts, one of said parts being rigid with said short arm, the other of said parts being movable through an arc about said axis from a position extending at an angle downward from said first-named part to a position extending at an angle upward from said first named part whereby when said disc projects beyond said edge said second-named part upon moving the same through said are will strike and move the disc.

2. The combinationset forth in claim 1, said short arm having said long arm secured thereto at one end of said short arm. a i

3. The combination set forth in claim 1, said short arm having said long arm secured thereto-at a position substantially intermediate the length of the short arm.

1,015,536 Blackwell Jan. 23, 1912 Spear Nov. 22, 1955 V 

